What do “capital” and “small” mean?

Capital means the uppercase letter, like A B C, and small means the lowercase letter, like a b c. Every English letter has both forms, and most writing is in lowercase.

When do we write a capital letter?

At the start of a sentence, at the start of names of people and places (Sara, Amman), and in the names of days and months (Sunday, May). The pronoun I is always a capital.

Which form should my child learn first?

Show both forms together from the start. For writing, start with lowercase letters, since words are mostly made of them, plus the capital letter of your child’s own name.

English Uppercase and Lowercase Letters with Pronunciation and Words (Printable PDF)

Suitable age: 4 to 7 years
Suggested time: 10 minutes a day
What you need: Small cards and a pen (for the matching game)

After this lesson, your child can:

recognize the uppercase and lowercase form of each letter.
match each uppercase letter to its lowercase partner.
tell similar letters apart, like b and d.
know when to use a capital letter.

The Full Alphabet in Uppercase and Lowercase, in Order

The table shows all 26 letters in order: uppercase, then lowercase, with the letter’s name and a word that starts with it. Tap the speaker to hear the letter’s name.

Uppercase	Lowercase	Name	Word
A	a	ay	apple
B	b	bee	ball
C	c	see	cat
D	d	dee	dad
E	e	ee	egg
F	f	ef	fish
G	g	jee	goat
H	h	aitch	hat
I	i	eye	ink
J	j	jay	jet
K	k	kay	key
L	l	el	lion
M	m	em	mom
N	n	en	nose
O	o	oh	octopus
P	p	pee	pen
Q	q	cue	queen
R	r	ar	rabbit
S	s	ess	sun
T	t	tee	tiger
U	u	you	umbrella
V	v	vee	vase
W	w	double-you	window
X	x	ex	fox
Y	y	why	yoyo
Z	z	zed / zee	zebra

📄

Printable Uppercase and Lowercase Letters (PDF) All 26 letters in both forms on the line, on one A4 page: to hang on the wall or to color.
Download the File

Letters Whose Two Forms Look Alike

In eight letters, the lowercase form is almost the same as the uppercase, just smaller. These are the easiest letters to start with:

Cc Oo Ss Uu Vv Ww Xx Zz

Letters Children Mix Up

Letters	The difference	How to remember
b / d	The tummy of b faces right, and the tummy of d faces left.	The word bed starts with b and ends with d, and the two letters look like the ends of a bed.
p / q	The tummy of p faces right, and the tummy of q faces left.	Write p with the straight line first, and q with the circle first.
n / h	The line in h is tall; in n it’s short.	The letter h reaches up to the top line.
I / l	I is uppercase and l is lowercase, and they look alike in many fonts.	The word I on its own means “me”.

When Do We Use a Capital Letter?

Where	Example
The start of a sentence	The cat is happy.
The start of names of people and places	Sara, Omar, Jordan
Days and months	Sunday, May
The pronoun I	I am six.

An Activity: The Matching Game

Write five uppercase letters on five cards, and the same letters in lowercase on five more.
Start with letters whose two forms look alike, like Cc, Oo and Ss.
Turn the cards face down on the table; your child turns over two cards each turn.
If the two cards are the same letter, your child says its name and keeps them.
Add new letters as your child masters the earlier ones.

For how to write each letter with a pencil: How to Teach Your Child to Write English Letters. And for the order of the alphabet: The English Alphabet in Order from A to Z.

🏠 Try It at Home Today

A matching game with five cards: Cc, Oo, Ss, Xx and Zz, then add two letters a day.

🏫 For Teachers in Class

Split the class in two: half hold uppercase letters and half lowercase, and each child looks for their “twin”.

Summary

Every English letter has two forms: uppercase (capital) and lowercase (small).
Most writing is in lowercase, and capitals have specific uses.
Capitals go at the start of a sentence, at the start of names, in days and months, and in the pronoun I.
Start with letters whose two forms look alike, like Cc, Oo and Ss.